Haile/US Bank College of Business ranked No. 27 best business school for vets

For immediate release…
Friday – March 13, 2015

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Military Times has released its national Best for Vets list Business School rankings for 2015 and Northern Kentucky University is the only university in the region to achieve a ranking in the top 75.

“We are proud to once again be recognized as an institution that serves veterans and family members well,” said NKU President Geoffrey Mearns. “This 2015 Best for Vets Business School national ranking is the latest recognition of NKU’s strong commitment to service and tradition of outreach to veterans and family members using educational benefits at NKU.”

To achieve the national ranking, NKU completed the Best for Vets: Business School survey, a highly respected, nearly 80-question analysis of a graduate business school’s complete offerings for veterans.

As with all of the Best for Vets rankings, Best for Vets: Business Schools is an editorially independent news project that evaluates the many factors that make an institution a good fit for military veterans. Best for Vets provides service men and women a gauge by which to judge whether a school or program will truly benefit them. The rankings factor in academic quality, outcomes and policies, school culture, student support, and cost.

“We continually strive to improve our outreach to veterans and recognition such as this is a good indicator that what we offer is working and making a difference in the quality of our student veteran experiences in the Hale/US Bank College of Business,” said Dr. Rebecca Porterfield, dean of the NKU Haile/US Bank College of Business.

An Air Force veteran, and a second-semester Master of Business Administration (MBA) student, Brandon Couch said he agrees with the dean’s assessment. “Recognition by the Military Times as a Best for Vets Business School is a big deal and sends a message about the quality of graduate business education at NKU to active duty exiting military service and veterans who are considering enrolling in one of the many graduate programs within the Hale/US College of Business,” he said.

Mr. Couch said he chose the two-year MBA program at NKU because “the MBA is a degree that will equip me for success in a career as a management analyst.” He said he believes the program’s integrated curriculum, hybrid courses, small cohort class sizes, and the flexibility of evening class offerings are especially attractive for full-time working professionals and veterans in the area.

He attributed his success so far in the MBA program to the outstanding dedicated faculty who are sensitive to veteran needs and the helpful enrollment assistance that MBA Director Ned Jackson has provided in conjunction with the special support efforts of the university’s Veterans Resource Station.

NKU’s recognition as a national leader in providing student veterans with the highest quality of education available anywhere in the country has been well acknowledged over the past year. In September, NKU was named for the sixth consecutive year a 2015 Military Friendly School by Victory Media. In November, the university was ranked No. 62 nationally in the Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges 2015 list, and for the second time was the only Greater Cincinnati university included. In December, NKU was awarded for the first time the designation of a Top School in the 2015 Military Advanced Education Guide to Colleges & Universities.

To learn more about how NKU is serving over 500 veterans, active family members, National Guardsmen, Reservists, and ROTC students with seamless assistance through application, financial aid, VA education benefits, advisement, registration, and career services, visit http://veterans.nku.edu.